Uber driver who taped prosecutor’s rant forgives her

The Dallas Uber driver who recorded a prosecutor’s drunken, foul-mouthed tirade that led to her termination Monday says he forgives her for the way she treated him and insists that it was not his intent to get her fired.

In an interview with ABC News, Shaun Platt suggested that alcohol was to blame for Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Jody Warner’s conduct last Friday and said he bears no ill will towards her.

‘I’m used to dealing with drunk passengers on a consistent basis,’ he said. ‘I forgive her and I’m sorry that it cost her her job, it was not my intent, but you don’t treat people that way.’

The driver added that Warner has now paid the price for her actions, which allegedly included slapping and repeatedly insulting him, and he wants people to leave her alone.

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Dallas Uber driver Shaun Platt, 26 (left) says Dallas prosecutors Jody Warner, 32 (right) got angry at him for getting lost and went on an expletive-filled rant on Friday

In a statement to ABC, the now-former prosecutor denied ever hitting Platt, but acknowledged that her behavior on Friday night was ‘unacceptable’.

The 32-year-old Warner, however, argued that Platt’s recording does not paint the full picture of what happened.

‘I cringe whenever I hear or think about the things that I said that night,’ she said.

‘The audio doesn’t tell you that I was in a situation that made me feel very uncomfortable and I became defensive and eventually angry.

She added in her statement to ABC: ‘I NEVER assaulted my driver or touched him in any way. All I wanted to do was get home safely that night.’

On Friday night, Platt was driving Warner home from a bar when he claims the woman got angry at him for getting lost, physically and verbally attacked him, and then accused him of kidnapping her.

‘She kept saying, “I’m assistant DA, who are they’re gonna believe, you or me?”‘ Platt told ABC News. ‘And I said, “You know what, you’re kinda right,” so I took out my phone and I recorded it.’

He added: ‘She actually hit me. It was not how I expected my night to go.’

Magnanimous: Platt says he forgives Warner for her conduct towards him, which he blamed on her alcohol consumption

Platt captured a portion of his interaction with Warner on audio, in which the female passenger can be heard hurling expletives at the driver, repeatedly calling him ‘an idiot’ and a ‘joke,’ and demanding that he take her home, despite his pleas that she get out of the car.

Just hours after Platt shared the recording with Dallas Morning News, the Dallas District Attorney’s Office sent a statement to DailyMail.com Monday evening announcing Warner’s termination.

‘After careful consideration and a thorough investigation, I have decided to terminate Ms. Warner,’ District Attorney Faith Johnson stated.

‘Although criminal charges have not been filed, her behavior is contrary to this office’s core principle of integrity, and it will not be tolerated.

‘As public servants, we represent the people of Dallas County and are examples of justice, professionalism, and ethical behavior both inside and outside of the courtroom. I will not waiver on my expectation of the highest integrity for myself or my staff.’

Speaking to the Dallas Morning News, Platt said it all started when he picked up Warner, 32, at Capitol Pub in Old East Dallas on Friday night.

The Uber driver said Warner appeared inebriated and angry, and things only got worse after the passenger told him to follow a route that was different from the GPS directions, which caused him to get lost.

‘I said, “Should I make a left up here?” and she refused to answer me,’ Platt said. ‘She said, “You can follow the [expletive] GPS” and she became increasingly angry, even though I was just trying to get her home.’

According to Platt, Warner continued name-calling and berating him. She also slapped him on the shoulder, which prompted the driver to pull over on the side of the road and ask the passenger to exit the vehicle.

‘She kept calling me “stupid.” She said this was the only job I can get because I’m so stupid. And that I was a retard. She hit me on my shoulder. That was the final straw,’ Platt told ABC.

Platt said he wanted to call police right away but decided to give Warner a chance to leave on her own, as she continued saying she was a DA.

Fed up with his customer’s antics, Platt ended the ride on the Uber app. He says Warner threatened him that he was ‘never going to work again and told him she ‘knows people.’

‘”Who are they going to believe? I’m a district attorney,”‘ the ride-sharing driver quoted Warner as warning him.

Platt picked up Warner at Capitol Pub in Old East Dallas on Friday night and was supposed to drive her home, but the passenger allegedly told him to follow a route different from his GPS directions, which caused him to get lost

Platt eventually called 911 to summon police and turned on the recording device.

‘Oh, my God, you’re going to regret this so much,’ Warner says in the audio recording obtained by the Morning News.

She later calls the driver ‘a f***ing idiot,’ ‘a legitimate retard’ and ‘stupid’.

‘I want to go home so badly but you’re so stupid I want the cops to come so that they can f*** you up, that’s what I want,’ Warner tells Platt.

Ignoring Platt’s repeated demands that she exit his car, Warner is heard in the audio telling him: ‘I’m an assistant district attorney so shut the f*** up.’

The situation then takes an unexpected turn when the 32-year-old prosecutor accuses Platt of kidnapping her by refusing to take her to her destination, even though the driver points out that she is free to leave.

‘Under the law, it’s recklessly keeping me from when i was going, and you have done that, ‘ she tells the man. ‘You’re kidnapping me. You’re committing a third- to first-degree felony.’

Platt again asks the woman to get out, but she remains inside his vehicle until the arrival of police.

Platt says Warner began belittling and name-calling him, and slapped him on his shoulder

In an audio recording made by Platt, a woman believed to be Warner can be heard warning Platt that he is going to regret calling police and calling him ‘an idiot’

The Uber driver said he was afraid Warner would get him arrested because she introduced herself to the officers as ‘the DA’ and pulled them aside for a chat.

In the end, one of the cops asked him,’you good?’ to which Platt replied, ‘I guess so.’ In retrospect, he says he felt intimated.

Warner left the scene in the police cruiser and Platt went on to pick up and drop off two more passengers that night.

According to her LinkedIn page, Warner earned her law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law and joined the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in February 2011, working in the crimes against children division.

Before Warner’s firing was announced Monday, Platt said he wanted an apology from Warner for her conduct, but he did not wish Warner to lose her job.

Pete Schulte, a former Dallas County prosecutor, came to his colleague’s defense on Twitter, urging people to reserve judgement.

‘There’s two sides to every event,’ Schulte tweeted. ‘Jody is an honorable prosecutor and the Dallas Co DA’s office is lucky to have her.’

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